The Lakitu is a recurring enemy and NPC type of the Super Mario series has been described as "the mysterious turtle who controls the clouds". They are a unique species of Koopas that ride on clouds. Enemy Lakitus usually attack by throwing down Spiny Eggs on their unsuspecting foes. They also commonly appear in more passive roles as referees or camera people.

Information

	A Lakitu depicted in Super Paper Mario.
Lakitu
Type	Koopa
Debut	Super Mario Bros.

The Lakitu is usually portrayed as a physically unfit Koopa wearing glasses with an unexplained power over clouds. They float around in their personal clouds and usually drop Spiny eggs towards their enemies, so that their Spinies could fight their battles. Lakitus can usually be knocked out by a simple hop, but their altitude makes them hard to reach. If a Lakitu is defeated, its cloud usually remains behind temporarily and can be ridden by the player's character. However, they do not all ride clouds, as they have also been known to attack from pipes, holes in walls or underwater.

Lakitus are also often seen with fishing poles that they use to lure in prey. Generally, they will bait Mario with a power-up or coin and will begin to pursue him once he shows up. They are generally referred to as Fishin' Lakitu and a similar enemy, Fishin' Boo (which seems to be the ghost version of a Lakitu) uses a similar baiting trick.

Although Lakitus are believed to only be able to control clouds, some Lakitus have shown some signs of weather control as well. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island had Thunder Lakitus which dropped lightning that started fires along the ground, although they seemed to be aided by some sort of mechanical apparatus. However, both of the boss Lakitus, Lakithunder and King Lakitu, seemed to naturally display the ability to fire lightning from their clouds.

Despite all these evil Lakitus working with Bowser's army, there are actually a number of benevolent ones as well. Lakitus have been known to work in camera crews (in Super Mario 64), as shopkeepers (in DDR Mario Mix) as umpires (the tennis games), and they are most well-known for their role in the Mario Kart series, where there is a Lakitu referee will count down to the beginning of the race (using a traffic light dangling from its fishing line) and use its fishing pole to save any fallen racers. There was also one Lakitu who acted as an ally to Mario in Paper Mario, named Lakilester.

Variations

Aqua Lakitu - In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, they are Lakitus who pop up from the water wearing snorkels and attack by tossing Spiny Balls. They are only vulnerable when they emerge.
Calm Fishin' Boo - An emotional variant of the Fishin' Boo in Super Princess Peach that is usually sleeping. Moving fast will awaken it, at which point it will behave like a normal Fishin' Boo, although it can be destroyed using the Rage Vibe.
Calm Lakitu - An emotional variant from Super Princess Peach. It is simply a sleeping Lakitu, and behaves like a normal Lakitu after being awakened.
Dark Lakitu - In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they are meaner and stronger versions of the Lakitu found only in the Pit of 100 Trials. It tosses Sky-Blue Spinies.
Fishin' Boo - A ghost version of the Lakitu that dangles fishing lines similar to the Fishin' Lakitu. It usually dangles a blue flame from its line and is immune to most normal attacks. It appears in Super Mario World and Super Princess Peach. In the latter game it can be destroyed by the Rage Vibe.
Glam Lakitu - In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Glam Lakitus are rare enemies who may appear in the upper screen during battles in Dimble Wood, Bumpsy Plains and Blubble Lake. If Bowser can inhale it before it runs away, Mario and Luigi can then battle it. These Lakitus are somewhat regal, wearing a crown, and toss golden Spinies as well as coins. The weaker versions are called Lakitu Kings.
Lakipea - The Beanbean Kingdom's counterpart to the Lakitu appearing in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. It is covered in vines and tosses Sharpeas, and otherwise behaves similarly to Lakitus.
Lakitufo - The Shroobian counterpart of the Lakitus appearing in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, although it is uncertain if they are actually of Shroobian origin or are actually modified Lakitus. They are Lakitus with antennas that cling to small UFOs in battle. They toss Spiny Shroopa Eggs and can also beam in additional Spiny Shroopas from their UFOs, and will sometimes attack themselves with an aerial spin attack. They appear in the Vim Factory level.
Lakitu in a Pipe - This is a variation of Lakitu from Super Mario World. It is simply a Lakitu that attacks from within Warp Pipes instead of riding upon clouds.
Lakitu R - A stronger version of Lakitus from Dream Team who only appear in the Dreamy version of Neo Bowser Castle.
Thunder Lakitu - In Yoshi's Island, they are Lakitus with a strange mechanical apparatus that shoot down lightning. They appear in one level of the game but also make a surprise cameo appearance in Mario Power Tennis, scattering Klaptraps from the DK Court.

Appearances

Lakitus were introduced in the original Super Mario Bros. game, and they have appeared as enemies in most of the platforming adventures since then, including:

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. 3: In this game, Lakitus could also throw green versions of Spiny shells that rolled along the ground without hatching. It also featured Lakitu's cloud as a special item that could be used to skip a level.
Super Mario World: It was only from this game onwards that Lakitus could be knocked off of their clouds, and that their clouds could be ridden by the player.
New Super Mario Bros.: This game featured a Lakitu boss, named Lakithunder.
Super Mario Galaxy 2: In this game, Lakitu's cloud can also be eaten by Yoshi, which causes them to fall to the ground and writhe helplessly, although they will generate a new cloud if left alone long enough. This game also features a Lakitu boss named Lakitu King.
New Super Mario Bros. 2: As with all enemies in the game, they turn golden when the player passes through a Gold Ring, and during this timespan they throw coins instead of Spiny Eggs.
New Super Mario Bros. U: One level featured Lakitus that instead threw Guurindais, which grew into Piranha Plants.
Super Mario Maker/Super Mario Maker 2: They are available in various styles based on their appearances in past sidescrolling games. It is also possible to place other enemies in Lakitu's cloud or use the cloud alone. The only style in which Lakitu and their eggs are not available in is the Super Mario 3D World style from Super Mario Maker 2.
Super Mario Run: In some levels, they throw coins instead of or in addition to Spiny Eggs.

In Yoshi's Safari, a single Lakitu appeared as an enemy in the Ghost Mansion located in the Dark Realm. Lakitus have also appeared in Yoshi's other spin-off games, where they threw Spiny Eggs that exploded instead of forming Spinies. These appearances included Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Story (where they threw spiked balls and rocks as well as occasionally melons), Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi's New Island and Yoshi's Woolly World. A Lakitu also appeared in Tetris Attack as one of Yoshi's friends who were brainwashed by Kamek. This Lakitu was the first opponent faced in the game and became playable after being defeated.

Lakitus made sporadic appearances as enemies in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, where they deployed Spikeys instead of Spinies and also lowed Shy Guys on their fishing lines. Several NPC Lakitus appeared, one being a Lakitu that pulled Frogfucious through the air to provide the illusion of flight, while another was a large Lakitu with a mustache who drove the Royal Bus, an aerial automobile made from clouds, in service of Nimbus Land, which was used to access Bowser's Keep. In Super Mario 64 and its DS remake, they made a non-playable appearance as a pair of cameraman brothers who acted as a tutorial and filmed the adventure, acting as the source of the game's 'camera'.

Lakitus have also appeared as enemies in several games of the Paper Mario subseries. In Paper Mario, they were only found in Flower Fields and directly served Huff N. Puff'. However, one of the Lakitus named Lakilester turned on them and became one of Mario's partners. Lakilester's cloud could protect Mario from harm, and he could blow strong gusts of wind. This game also featured another benevolent Lakitu NPC in the form of his girlfriend, Lakilulu. Lakitus also appeared as enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario. In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, a single Lakitu appeared throwing Spinies at Whammo Mountain. This Lakitu could not be battled, and instead Mario had to use a Super Star to clear through the Spinies and reach the top of the mountain.

They have also appeared in every game of the Mario & Luigi series, usually with minor appearances. In the first three games, a Fishin' Lakitu appeared on the level-up screen every time one of the brothers leveled up, its fishing line being used as the cursor to select which status to give some extra points too. Most of these games also featured different variants and alternate versions of the Lakitus to fight, with original Lakitus only appearing as enemies in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, one Lakitu wielding a camera appeared at Peach's Castle and helped Mario by providing him with a cloud-cam view of the castle, which took on the form of the game's map function. Another Lakitu also transported Kylie Koopa and Toadbert to the Star Shrine on its fishing line during the past storyline, as part of a service referred to as "Lakitu travel". In Dream Team, enemy Lakitus appeared in the background during battles with Spinies, but they would sometimes float to the forefront to throw both Spinies and Mushrooms at one of the brothers. In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Lakitus only appeared as hosts of the Lakitu Info Center who helped to coordinate missions.

In Mario Pinball Land, a Lakitu appeared in one area of the Shifting Sands. It could not be fought, but Mario could earn a Power Star by defeating its four spinies. Lakitus also made an NPC appearance in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix as shopkeepers and also gave Mario rewards for completing tasks for them. In the first world, Mario had to clear their guards for Koopas in exchange for a key to the Truffle Towers, and in the third world, a pirate-themed Lakitu would give Mario a motor if he beat him in a fishing contest. Lakitus also appeared as enemies in Super Princess Peach, based on their Yoshi's Island appearances and with several emotionally-based variants.

In Super Mario Odyssey, a Fishin' Lakitu appeared as an NPC in several different kingdoms, where he tried fishing in a variety of different environments, including at a poison pond. Mario could use Cappy to control the Lakitu and fish for him, which could result in catching large Cheep Cheeps that contained Power Moons. In one case, the Lakitu instead fished Poochy out of a poison pond. In Dr. Mario World, Lakitus were available as assistant characters, and a doctor version of Lakitu was also added as a playable character in late April 2020. Either could be unlocked at random through the game's Staffing feature.

Sports

As mentioned above, Lakitus often appear in referee roles in the sports-related Mario games. Lakitus have appeared in referee or umpire-related roles in every game of the Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, Mario Baseball and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games subseries, as well as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and for three of the sports (basketball, hockey and dodgeball) represented in Mario Sports Mix. In most of the Mario Golf games, they retrieve balls that fall into the water and also act as referees for the Speed Golf minigames, using the traffic lights from their Mario Kart appearances. A Lakitu cameraman was also present in the first Mario Golf game.

A red-shelled Lakitu also appeared as a playable character in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 (as an unlockable character), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (added in a December 2018 update) and Mario Kart Tour (available at random through the game's pipe-firing mechanic or in-game shop starting in October 2019).

Mario Party

Within the Mario Party games, Lakitus have made appearances in various minigames throughout the series. Lakitus have also appeared as a capsule item in Mario Party 5and Mario Party 7 (in the Neon Heights area only), and when it was, the Lakitu could be summoned to steal capsules/orbs from other players. A similar item called the Lakitu Leech later appeared on the Perilous Palace Path board in Mario Party: Island Tour, and in this case the Lakitu could be used to seal items in general.

In Mario Party Advance, they acted as minigame referees, and one Lakitu NPC appeared who was known for being an avid fan of Toad Force V. The player had to remind him of a line from the show to earn the Bait 'n Wait Gaddget from him, and in the credits he was said to secretly wish to be a screenwriter. In Mario Party 9, Lakitu appeared as the first boss to be fought at Toad Road.

In Mario Party: Star Rush, there was one space in Toad Scramble mode that was represented by a Lakitu's cloud. Landing on it could summon a Lakitu to give the player a ride to another player's space if paid with coins. Lakitus also appeared in Super Mario Party, where they could steal coins or a Star fro other players, inheriting the role played by Boo in previous games.

Other Appearances

Video Games

Lakitus have also appeared as enemies in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. In this game, Lakitus appear in the cloud areas and use lightning magic to attack.
In Yakuman DS, a Lakitu wearing an academic hat acts as the game's tutorial and is very knowledgeable about mahjong.
In the board game-themed Fortune Street, Lakitu could be summoned by drawing Venture Card #92 and forced all shops it passed on the board to close for the day.
The Lakitu appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. The Lakitu is represented in its original 8-bit pixel appearance from Super Mario Bros. and drops Spinies on players. In the 3DS Smash, Lakitus also appear as enemies in Smash Run, using their modern designs rather then the 8-bit appearance.
- Throughout the series, Lakitu has been represented by a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, a trophy (the 8-bit Assist Trophy version) and two stickers (from Mario Kart Super Circuit and New Super Mario Bros.) in Brawl, a trophy (again of the Assist Trophy version) in the 3DS/Wii U game, two more trophies (of his normal appearance and him with the Cloud 9 kart) in the 3DS game and an Advanced Primary Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Lakitu's Spirit has the bonus of lowering the player fighter's weight. When fought in a Spirit battle, Lakitu's Spirit possesses Iggy Koopa and fights alongside a team of small Bowsers that stand in for the Spinies.

Trivia

The Lakitu's Japanese name is Jugem, taken from a Japanese rakugou folk talk, where it is the beginning of someone's comically long name. Lakitu's cloud was accidentally referred to as Jugem's Cloud in the original English localization of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Shigeru Miyamoto has claimed that Lakitu is the game character that represented him the best, because of the way he is "very free, floating in the air, going anywhere".
In Tetris Attack, the Lakitu replaced Windy from the original Panel De Pon.
In Goombella's Tattle of the Lakitu in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, she points out that it is never explained where/how the Lakitu stores all of those Spiny Eggs.
Although Lakitus do not appear in Paper Mario: Color Splash, they are briefly mentioned in a reference to Mario Kart by Luigi; When Luigi prepares to drive Mario and Huey down Rainbow Road on his kart, he warns them that Lakitu isn't there to save them this time.

Lakitu

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